Name: Li Feng Age: 49 (Born on Feb 24th 1888) Gender: Male Occupation: Worker on the port of Shanghai under the merchants. Major work done is loading goods on and off the ship. Appearance: Skin is dark due to the tanning from the exposure to sun. His skin is old due to the hard word that he has gone through and all the stresses he has from trying to feed his family. The clothes that he wears are clothes that are made out of pieces of clothes that are old and dirty. Even though it is dirty, we could still see and feel Chinese trace on his clothes. He only wears the clothes that his wife or his mom makes out of cloths. His beard has outgrown as if he hasn't shaved for a long time due to his busy work. Location: Shanghai Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: He is a very naive man who doesn't know anything else other than his work or the thought that he has to feed his family. He is also not very greedy. He only thinks about his own work and nothing else. Family: Have a wife and three kids to take care of. Two girls and one boy. Education: Primary education. He didn't get much education because his family was poor and couldn't afford any more education than the one that was already provided by the government. Languages you speak: Mandarin Chinese Your main concerns at this time and in life: His main concern in life is feeding his family in a situation where the economy is not very good and there is a lack of good for his family. Only he is the person that his family can trust in these hard times. Portrait (an image that you and we can live with):
Diary 1
Sep 21st 1937
Dear diary,
There has been no quiet days in the city of Shanghai and airplanes flew above creative massive amounts of noises for about a month. The moves of the merchants began to change for all the industries started relocating themselves to the interior of China for more protection against the Japanese. Everyone around me knows that we don’t stand much chance against the Japanese. They are much advanced us than us in technology even though our country has begun to exchange more with the Western Powers. Now that I think about it, our country has been increasing the interaction with the Westerners for quite a time now. In May, I remember carrying luggages for a British man named William Cameron II (Jacob) who seemed to be mean and pitying me at the same time. I have also worked for several other Western man who has come to China for some business.
But the difference that those Westerners has brought to Shanghai is not helping us very much. From what I hear, people are dying out everyday in all places including cities and their surrounding places. We have been making several attempts such as launching a bombing raid on a Japanese cruiser Idzumo. Even up in the sky, planes are fighting their own wars even though once our planes are shot down, we don’t have enough skill to be able to manufacture new planes to replace their spot. It’s currently losing close to half of the planes we have according to the people around me.
These aren’t the bloodiest part of the battle though. Everyday, shot rings out and when I walk across the shorelines a little distance from where I am, there are thousands upon thousands left dead on the shore. It’s as if a tornado has swept through. I do not want any more of these deaths from occurring around me. Therefore, when a girl, named Zhang Bai Zhi (Sean D.), from Nanking came on a ship to Shanghai to find her father, I simply sent her back. It was too dangerous for her. If she stayed any longer, I knew she would not survive or even if she didn’t lose her life, she would be taken and tortured as prisoner of war.
However today, I met another girl (Shelley) who reminded me of Zhang Bai Zhi. She stared at me from quite far away but something was peculiar about her. She seemed to remind me of my young ages. Something in her resembled me. But in the midst of these thoughts, I was carried away by the sounds of a clear shotgun. For the past month, this has been happening so nothing is shocking but they do interrupt my chain of thought every time it occurs. I cannot predict when this war is going to end but I’m sure it’s not going to come to an end any time soon.
Battle of Shanghai
Diary 2
Nov 14th 1939
Dear diary,
Being in an unusual place is very odd for one who has never left one’s own city. Today, I have made a first journey of my life to Hong Kong. I’m not the only one who is taking the first journey in life however. All the refugee are finding their way out from the city of Shanghai. The population has been almost doubling in Hong Kong for the past four years. With the fall of Guangzhou in 1938 to Japan, refugees fled from not only Shanghai but Guangzhou also. There are people who come to Hong Kong through official work like me for port work but most are here through crossing over in a form of guerrillas.
But the atmosphere of Hong Kong was very different from the mainland China. Refugees come to Hong Kong with horrendous tales of massacres, rapes and starvation by the Japanese people on the Chinese. However, people of Hong Kong believe that this is a story that does not apply to them. They believe that it will not occur to them and continues their usual life. However, I doubt their confidence that this will not happen to them. Japanese are scary people who eat in to the land of China little by little. They have a great potential to invade Hong Kong as well. Where will the Chinese refugees in Hong Kong go after Hong Kong gets taken over also?
I have met one boy from Nanking who has come to find job in Hong Kong away from the torture in his home town. His name was Wang Peng (Annie) and appeared to be about 20 years of age. He approached me to ask me directions. I guess he assumed me to be a civilian of Hong Kong being dressed in comfortable clothing. He was looking for a job in Hong Kong away from any type of abuse. We fell into a conversation about the things going on in mainland China. Especially, he told me stories of the reality in Nanking. The people of Nanking were living through the life of horror. He told me of girls getting raped everyday and how people were really thin out of starvation. Throughout this vivid description of the events in Japan, I felt as him I was hearing screaming of people in my ears. At the same time, I was glad that this wasn’t happening to me. I hope this war could end quickly so that suffering of people will soon come to an end.
Diary 3
Dec 27th, 1941
Dear diary,
I have heard the news that it has been quite a while since Shanghai was taken over by the Japanese. Soon after my move to Hong Kong, Shanghai was eaten up by Japan. But now, it’s Hong Kong. Japanese have launched a war on Hong Kong and once again, my nightmare of shotguns and bombs began. There are many sides to this war even though the main sides are only two, the people of Hong Kong and the Japanese. Just last month, the Canadians brought in two more of their battalions to aid us in fighting the Japanese. However, the Canadians were simply pathetic. They were sent to Hong Kong without proper training. They did not even know how to load a rifle. They don’t know what being a soldier means when asked. However, there was one thing good about them. They were enthusiastic. They were willing to do anything.
However, the war seems to be worse than the war at Shanghai. Since Hong Kong is a colony of Britain, British army stands strong in front of Japan for them to invade. Therefore, Japan seemed to be more prepared in the attack this time. They aimed for when the security on the shore of Hong Kong was lax and the Japanese Navy attacked. Due to this loss of Hong Kong, now there are many Japanese generals roaming around. They have been capturing laborers to sell as a work force in Japan and today, I was also taken captive by Admiral Isoroku (Emily). I was in the town along with several of my fellow laborers in order to buy some food for ourselves. However, the Japanese admiral suddenly burst into the store and took some healthy looking men including me. I was extremely startled but I was carried on to somewhere I did not recognize. I was then locked up in a very dark and damp area. There, I started running into people. One person I remember the most is a small girl from Korea named Yun-Joo (Daniella). She seemed just too young to be in this boat with me. Others were mostly all fairly old but she was crumpled up in the corner fearing everyone. She got deeper into her corner when I approached her. I wanted to comfort her but the more I talked to her, the more she seemed to go into her little corner so I just left her alone and went to my spot. I thought I would rest a little when I can so that when I’m sold off to a labor force, I’m not worn down.
Diary 4
Dec 30th 1941
Dear diary,
It has been three days since I’ve been stuck on on this boat with horrible stench. People all look as if they have been stuck on his boat for several days. We’ve only been given the minimum amount of food we can ever get. I feel as if no energy is left within me. I haven’t been talking to anyone for the past three days on the boat. Now, I feel the urge that I need to talk to someone. Being accustomed to having a conversation with someone at least once in a day due to my work as a port worker, I cannot resist this state of no conversation whatsoever. I attempted a conversation with a western guy next to me. I didn’t expect much of a conversation since not many western people could speak our language. However, something was different about him. His name was Tom Mackenzie (Brian Lee) and he was capable of speaking some Chinese. He told me that he had learned Chinese for a little while before coming to Hong Kong.
However, he didn’t seem to be aware why we are on this boat and where we are heading. I informed him that we are being transported to Japan in order to be sold off as a labor force in Japan. He seemed partly frightened but he told me that he is still not going to lose his hope of surviving. He claimed that the Americans were much stronger than the Japanese forces and therefore, Japanese will fall soon. He said that Japan will only have 100 days of victory as if he had some kind of foretelling ability.
In the midst of the conversation, we were interrupted by a little thump. I knew from my ship experience that we have arrived at the destination. Then, the door opened and stream of light entered the storage. It almost blinded me because I haven’t been exposed to light for 3 days. The Japanese generals entered and ordered us to stand in a line. As we did, they shoved us out. For a while, I couldn’t see where I was going. There were so many people on board. I couldn’t pay attention to anything around me. When my mind came back to earth, I was at a place I did not recognize. Since I was with people I did not recognized, I knew I was sold off to someone who needs labor.
I do not know when I will be freed from this labor but I hope it will be sometime soon. People speculate that Japanese will soon come to a downfall by the Americans and that China is going to become independent once again. I’m awaiting for the day that this will happen so that I can return to my hometown, Shanghai.
Age: 49 (Born on Feb 24th 1888)
Gender: Male
Occupation: Worker on the port of Shanghai under the merchants. Major work done is loading goods on and off the ship.
Appearance: Skin is dark due to the tanning from the exposure to sun. His skin is old due to the hard word that he has gone through and all the stresses he has from trying to feed his family. The clothes that he wears are clothes that are made out of pieces of clothes that are old and dirty. Even though it is dirty, we could still see and feel Chinese trace on his clothes. He only wears the clothes that his wife or his mom makes out of cloths. His beard has outgrown as if he hasn't shaved for a long time due to his busy work.
Location: Shanghai
Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: He is a very naive man who doesn't know anything else other than his work or the thought that he has to feed his family. He is also not very greedy. He only thinks about his own work and nothing else.
Family: Have a wife and three kids to take care of. Two girls and one boy.
Education: Primary education. He didn't get much education because his family was poor and couldn't afford any more education than the one that was already provided by the government.
Languages you speak: Mandarin Chinese
Your main concerns at this time and in life: His main concern in life is feeding his family in a situation where the economy is not very good and there is a lack of good for his family. Only he is the person that his family can trust in these hard times.
Portrait (an image that you and we can live with):
Diary 1
Sep 21st 1937
Dear diary,
There has been no quiet days in the city of Shanghai and airplanes flew above creative massive amounts of noises for about a month. The moves of the merchants began to change for all the industries started relocating themselves to the interior of China for more protection against the Japanese. Everyone around me knows that we don’t stand much chance against the Japanese. They are much advanced us than us in technology even though our country has begun to exchange more with the Western Powers. Now that I think about it, our country has been increasing the interaction with the Westerners for quite a time now. In May, I remember carrying luggages for a British man named William Cameron II (Jacob) who seemed to be mean and pitying me at the same time. I have also worked for several other Western man who has come to China for some business.
But the difference that those Westerners has brought to Shanghai is not helping us very much. From what I hear, people are dying out everyday in all places including cities and their surrounding places. We have been making several attempts such as launching a bombing raid on a Japanese cruiser Idzumo. Even up in the sky, planes are fighting their own wars even though once our planes are shot down, we don’t have enough skill to be able to manufacture new planes to replace their spot. It’s currently losing close to half of the planes we have according to the people around me.
These aren’t the bloodiest part of the battle though. Everyday, shot rings out and when I walk across the shorelines a little distance from where I am, there are thousands upon thousands left dead on the shore. It’s as if a tornado has swept through. I do not want any more of these deaths from occurring around me. Therefore, when a girl, named Zhang Bai Zhi (Sean D.), from Nanking came on a ship to Shanghai to find her father, I simply sent her back. It was too dangerous for her. If she stayed any longer, I knew she would not survive or even if she didn’t lose her life, she would be taken and tortured as prisoner of war.
However today, I met another girl (Shelley) who reminded me of Zhang Bai Zhi. She stared at me from quite far away but something was peculiar about her. She seemed to remind me of my young ages. Something in her resembled me. But in the midst of these thoughts, I was carried away by the sounds of a clear shotgun. For the past month, this has been happening so nothing is shocking but they do interrupt my chain of thought every time it occurs. I cannot predict when this war is going to end but I’m sure it’s not going to come to an end any time soon.
Battle of Shanghai
Diary 2
Nov 14th 1939
Dear diary,
Being in an unusual place is very odd for one who has never left one’s own city. Today, I have made a first journey of my life to Hong Kong. I’m not the only one who is taking the first journey in life however. All the refugee are finding their way out from the city of Shanghai. The population has been almost doubling in Hong Kong for the past four years. With the fall of Guangzhou in 1938 to Japan, refugees fled from not only Shanghai but Guangzhou also. There are people who come to Hong Kong through official work like me for port work but most are here through crossing over in a form of guerrillas.
But the atmosphere of Hong Kong was very different from the mainland China. Refugees come to Hong Kong with horrendous tales of massacres, rapes and starvation by the Japanese people on the Chinese. However, people of Hong Kong believe that this is a story that does not apply to them. They believe that it will not occur to them and continues their usual life. However, I doubt their confidence that this will not happen to them. Japanese are scary people who eat in to the land of China little by little. They have a great potential to invade Hong Kong as well. Where will the Chinese refugees in Hong Kong go after Hong Kong gets taken over also?
I have met one boy from Nanking who has come to find job in Hong Kong away from the torture in his home town. His name was Wang Peng (Annie) and appeared to be about 20 years of age. He approached me to ask me directions. I guess he assumed me to be a civilian of Hong Kong being dressed in comfortable clothing. He was looking for a job in Hong Kong away from any type of abuse. We fell into a conversation about the things going on in mainland China. Especially, he told me stories of the reality in Nanking. The people of Nanking were living through the life of horror. He told me of girls getting raped everyday and how people were really thin out of starvation. Throughout this vivid description of the events in Japan, I felt as him I was hearing screaming of people in my ears. At the same time, I was glad that this wasn’t happening to me. I hope this war could end quickly so that suffering of people will soon come to an end.
Diary 3
Dec 27th, 1941
Dear diary,
I have heard the news that it has been quite a while since Shanghai was taken over by the Japanese. Soon after my move to Hong Kong, Shanghai was eaten up by Japan. But now, it’s Hong Kong. Japanese have launched a war on Hong Kong and once again, my nightmare of shotguns and bombs began. There are many sides to this war even though the main sides are only two, the people of Hong Kong and the Japanese. Just last month, the Canadians brought in two more of their battalions to aid us in fighting the Japanese. However, the Canadians were simply pathetic. They were sent to Hong Kong without proper training. They did not even know how to load a rifle. They don’t know what being a soldier means when asked. However, there was one thing good about them. They were enthusiastic. They were willing to do anything.
However, the war seems to be worse than the war at Shanghai. Since Hong Kong is a colony of Britain, British army stands strong in front of Japan for them to invade. Therefore, Japan seemed to be more prepared in the attack this time. They aimed for when the security on the shore of Hong Kong was lax and the Japanese Navy attacked. Due to this loss of Hong Kong, now there are many Japanese generals roaming around. They have been capturing laborers to sell as a work force in Japan and today, I was also taken captive by Admiral Isoroku (Emily). I was in the town along with several of my fellow laborers in order to buy some food for ourselves. However, the Japanese admiral suddenly burst into the store and took some healthy looking men including me. I was extremely startled but I was carried on to somewhere I did not recognize. I was then locked up in a very dark and damp area. There, I started running into people. One person I remember the most is a small girl from Korea named Yun-Joo (Daniella). She seemed just too young to be in this boat with me. Others were mostly all fairly old but she was crumpled up in the corner fearing everyone. She got deeper into her corner when I approached her. I wanted to comfort her but the more I talked to her, the more she seemed to go into her little corner so I just left her alone and went to my spot. I thought I would rest a little when I can so that when I’m sold off to a labor force, I’m not worn down.
Diary 4
Dec 30th 1941
Dear diary,
It has been three days since I’ve been stuck on on this boat with horrible stench. People all look as if they have been stuck on his boat for several days. We’ve only been given the minimum amount of food we can ever get. I feel as if no energy is left within me. I haven’t been talking to anyone for the past three days on the boat. Now, I feel the urge that I need to talk to someone. Being accustomed to having a conversation with someone at least once in a day due to my work as a port worker, I cannot resist this state of no conversation whatsoever. I attempted a conversation with a western guy next to me. I didn’t expect much of a conversation since not many western people could speak our language. However, something was different about him. His name was Tom Mackenzie (Brian Lee) and he was capable of speaking some Chinese. He told me that he had learned Chinese for a little while before coming to Hong Kong.
However, he didn’t seem to be aware why we are on this boat and where we are heading. I informed him that we are being transported to Japan in order to be sold off as a labor force in Japan. He seemed partly frightened but he told me that he is still not going to lose his hope of surviving. He claimed that the Americans were much stronger than the Japanese forces and therefore, Japanese will fall soon. He said that Japan will only have 100 days of victory as if he had some kind of foretelling ability.
In the midst of the conversation, we were interrupted by a little thump. I knew from my ship experience that we have arrived at the destination. Then, the door opened and stream of light entered the storage. It almost blinded me because I haven’t been exposed to light for 3 days. The Japanese generals entered and ordered us to stand in a line. As we did, they shoved us out. For a while, I couldn’t see where I was going. There were so many people on board. I couldn’t pay attention to anything around me. When my mind came back to earth, I was at a place I did not recognize. Since I was with people I did not recognized, I knew I was sold off to someone who needs labor.
I do not know when I will be freed from this labor but I hope it will be sometime soon. People speculate that Japanese will soon come to a downfall by the Americans and that China is going to become independent once again. I’m awaiting for the day that this will happen so that I can return to my hometown, Shanghai.
Bibliography
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-40-rare-images-battle-shanghai
http://www.japan-guide.com/a/shanghai/
http://sen.parl.gc.ca/vpoy/english/Special_Interests/speeches/Speech_HK_1941.htm
http://www.san.beck.org/21-5-ChinaatWar1937-49.html
http://www.orientalwomentalk.net/Japanese_invasion.html
http://thenostalgialeague.yuku.com/topic/3764/40-rare-pictures-of-the-Battle-of-Shanghai-1937#.TuGqXnPxa84
http://history.cultural-china.com/en/34History7426.html
http://sen.parl.gc.ca/vpoy/english/Special_Interests/speeches/Speech_HK_1941.htm
http://www.koreanwar-educator.org/memoirs/crum_bill/index.htm